A vendor can implement and maintain a server hosting system. The server hosting system provides servers for use by multiple customers, called tenants. Computing devices in the server hosting system are located at one or more locations remote from the tenants. For instance, the computing devices in the server hosting system can be located at a premises occupied by the vendor. Use of server hosting systems is growing in popularity because a server hosting system can enable a tenant to divide the cost of implementing, maintaining, and running servers with other tenants.
A server provided by a server hosting system is sometimes referred to as a managed server. A server hosting system can include a dedicated computing device that exclusively provides an individual managed server for a tenant. Alternatively, the server hosting system can include a computing device that provides multiple virtual managed servers. In this alternative scenario, each of the virtual managed servers functions like a separate server, even though the virtual managed servers are provided by a single computing device.
Ideally, a tenant is able to use a managed server in a manner similar to that in which the tenant would use a server on the tenant's premises (i.e., an on-premises server). For example, the tenant may be able to use a managed server to host the tenant's intranet website. In another example, the tenant may be able to use a managed server to host a tenant's email system. As a consequence of enabling a tenant to use a managed server in a manner similar to that in which the tenant would use an on-premises server, it should appear to the tenant as though there were no other tenants of the server hosting system, and as though the managed servers are local to that tenant.